02/09/2026
Looking Back – Al Ain Air Show 2011
Back in 2011, before our move to Australia, I spent some time working in the UAE. One of the benefits of being there was the opportunity to experience some of the aviation events that, until then, I had only ever read about. One weekend, a roughly two-hour drive into the desert took me to the oasis city of Al Ain for the Al Ain Air Show.
At the time, I was still shooting with a Fuji bridge camera, rather than the equipment I use today. The clear UAE skies and generally favourable conditions certainly helped, and looking back, the camera managed to produce some surprisingly acceptable results! More importantly, this was my first real “exotic” airshow — an event featuring display teams and aircraft that were rarely, if ever, seen at the airshows I had previously attended.
Among the highlights were the Baltic Bees, the Lithuanian-based team flying a four-ship formation of Aero L-39 Albatros trainers. There was also Scandinavian Airshows, featuring their spectacular dual wing-walking act performed from a Grumman Showcat, accompanied by a pair of Pitts Specials.
The Blue Voltige team brought something rather different to the show, operating a pair of Fournier motor gliders — the RF-4 and RF-5 — demonstrating just how much can be done with relatively modest machinery.
The military display teams provided plenty of noise and spectacle. The Saudi Hawks appeared with their six-ship formation of BAE Hawk Mk.65s, while the Turkish Stars delivered one of the visual highlights of the weekend with their full eight-ship formation of NF-5 Freedom Fighters. The flying displays also included four civilian Hawker Hunters, including the beautifully presented Mk.58 “Miss Demeanour”, wearing its distinctive sunburst colour scheme.
The host nation was well represented too, with the UAE Air Force putting a selection of aircraft through formation flypasts, including the F-16E Desert Falcons and Mirage 2000s. And then there was the sound and sight of something considerably larger. Etihad Airways provided a spectacular low pass with an Airbus A340 wearing its distinctive Grand Prix livery — certainly not something you would expect to see at an airshow in the desert!
Looking back now, the photographs may not have the sharpness or quality of today's digital cameras, but they bring back some great memories. It was my first taste of an international airshow outside the usual European circuit, and it opened my eyes to just how diverse the world of aviation really is.
Sometimes, it's not the quality of the photograph that matters most. It's the memory attached to it.
